BeMobi says the traffic bollards installed in the area in front of Benevento Cathedral were intended to improve traffic safety and enforce existing parking and stopping restrictions, and that the full installation, removal and restoration operation was completed within approximately 24 hours at no cost to the municipality.

The devices were removed because, although described as technically suitable, they were considered visually inappropriate for the historic and monumental setting of Piazza Duomo.

What happened in Piazza Duomo

According to the accounts from BeMobi and the municipal explanation, the barriers were placed in the open area in front of Benevento Cathedral with the stated aims of improving traffic safety and preventing irregular parking or stopping.

The intervention was short-lived. The reported reason for the rapid reversal was not technical failure, but aesthetic impact: the bollards were judged unsuitable for Piazza Duomo because of the historic character of the square.

Both BeMobi and the municipal account state that installation, removal and restoration imposed no cost on the City of Benevento.

The authorization question

The municipal explanation identifies Traffic and Signage Service measure no. 6/2026, dated 5 November 2026, as the authorization for the intervention.

That point remains contested in the available reporting. Other reports present conflicting accounts about whether the Piazza Duomo installation initially had the necessary authorization. The underlying municipal measure was not independently retrieved in the research, so its exact wording and scope remain unverified.

The precise installation and removal times, and the exact number of devices installed, are also not consistently documented across the retrieved reports.

Opposition criticism and wider parking dispute

The opposition disputed the handling of the intervention, saying barriers appeared in front of the cathedral and disappeared within hours. Opposition representatives linked the episode to broader concerns about BeMobi's management of paid parking and municipal oversight.

The criticism therefore goes beyond the bollards themselves. It concerns authorization procedures, oversight of BeMobi, and the management of the wider paid-parking system in Benevento.

Other reported installations

Further barrier installations were reported in Viale Delcogliano and Via Diacono. Municipal officials said installations should be assessed individually under applicable procedures, with attention to safety, technical and administrative compliance.

The reports do not establish whether those later installations received final authorization.

Timeline as reported

  • 5 November 2026: date given by the municipal explanation for Traffic and Signage Service measure no. 6/2026.
  • Early phase: installation of barriers in the area in front of Benevento Cathedral, presented as a safety and parking-enforcement intervention.
  • Within approximately 24 hours: removal and restoration, explained on aesthetic grounds related to Piazza Duomo.
  • Following days: continued controversy, reports of other installations in Viale Delcogliano and Via Diacono, and opposition questions about authorization and BeMobi oversight.

This sequence reflects the reports as published; exact timestamps remain unverified.

What remains unclear

Several points are not resolved by the available reporting:

  • Whether the initial Piazza Duomo installation complied fully with authorization requirements.
  • The full scope and wording of measure no. 6/2026.
  • The exact number of devices installed and removed.
  • The authorization status of the installations reported in Viale Delcogliano and Via Diacono.

What is corroborated across independent reports is the core account: a brief safety-related intervention in front of the cathedral, rapid removal for aesthetic reasons, a stated zero cost to the municipality, and an unresolved dispute over authorization and oversight.